Personalities Change a Lot With Age — But in a Good Way, Study Finds

Though many folks out there think personality is something that stays the same over time — both for themselves and others — new research may show the exact opposite. According to a major new study, personality may be ever-evolving, even as people reach old age. And based on the results, we couldn't be more thrilled about what's to come later on.

The massive study analyzed 47,190 people and their "Big Five" personality traits – neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness, extroversion, and agreeableness – over a time period of several decades. Interestingly enough, it found that all five metrics showed huge changes over the course of people's lives.

Researchers found that all traits except for agreeableness saw downward trends per decade, suggesting to them that the "Dolce Vita" effect may be real after all — that aging people live "the sweet life" when they have fewer responsibilities and can do more things that they enjoy on a regular basis.

The sweet life sounds pretty good to us right about now, but an added bonus is that a lot of traits in people around you that grind your gears may not be present in the future. For example, people in the study were shown to be less neurotic over time, so if you have any neurotic friends, this may come as a huge relief when you think about spending time with them in their old age. For fans of nostalgia, you might also be pleased to know that people are more likely to savor the classics as they age, rather than trying every single new trend that comes out.

Though change can sometimes be a scary thing, it can also be a good thing, especially when it comes to moving forward with our lives and letting go of the past. Sounds like a pretty "sweet" deal to us indeed!